Border Patrol Agent Assaulted by Illegal Alien in New Mexico

File Photo: MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty ImagesBOB PRICE4 Oct 2016

An illegal alien was arrested after allegedly assaulting a U.S. Border Patrol agent in New Mexico.

Agents working near Mt. Cristo Rey, New Mexico, were searching for a group of illegal immigrants who had just crossed the border near Puerto de Anapra, Mexico. Mt. Cristo Rey is located in the extreme southeastern tip of the state and a few miles west of El Paso, Texas.

Agents requested air support from a helicopter assigned to the El Paso Branch of Air and Marine Operations (AMO), according to information obtained from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officials by Breitbart Texas Monday afternoon. The aircrew responded and used its “forward looking infrared camera” (FLIR) to locate the immigrants who were hiding in the darkness of a near moonless night.

The aircrew guided agents to the location of the immigrants. One of the illegal aliens who had been hiding in the brush suddenly ran toward one of the agents. As the agent grabbed the man and attempted to take him into custody, a fight broke out. As the agent was wrestling with the man, both were “hurtled over a six-foot ledge,” officials stated. The agent’s head struck a rock and he was temporarily disabled. The suspect fled the scene.

The aircrew from the AMO helicopter used its spotlight follow the suspect and guide other agents to his location. A “government issued electronic control device” was eventually used to disable the man. He was taken into custody without further incident.

Agents from the El Paso Sector Horse Patrol Unit, with the help of the aircrew, searched, found, and captured the remaining illegal immigrants.

The agent who was injured in the fall from the ledge was treated at the scene and then transported via helicopter air ambulance to the Las Palmas Medical Center in El Paso.

The illegal alien who allegedly assaulted the Border Patrol agent was taken into custody and turned over to the FBI. He faces the possibility of prosecution on a felony charge of Assault on a Federal Officer. It is expected he will be processed for Expedited Removal following his prosecution by the Department of Justice.

The injured agent was treated released by the hospital. No information was available on the nationality of this suspect or the others traveling with him.

There has been a significant increase in assaults against Border Patrol agents by illegal aliens during FY 2016, according to CBP officials. As of the end of August, the latest numbers available, 404 Border Patrol agents have been assaulted. This compares to 360 agents who were assaulted in the same period of FY 2015. That is an increase of 12 percent. Assaults against all CBP law enforcement officers are up by 23 percent when comparing the same time period.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.